Alpine chairlift scare in Italy as winds hit 100 km/h, amidst Easter tourist boom

Passengers of a chairlift in the Italian Alps experienced moments of terror when strong winds began to tug at the chairs where people were seated. The video of the incident quickly spread on the internet.

The event occurred in Breuil-Cervinia, a ski resort situated in the northwestern part of Italy in the Aosta Valley region of the Pennine Alps, at an altitude of approximately 2,005 metres.

In the video that surfaced online, the strong wind can be seen swaying the chairs back and forth, with local media reporting that wind speeds reached up to about 100 km/h.

The lift operator reported that due to the adverse weather conditions, efforts to close the lift had begun earlier, but the last passengers were not able to evacuate before the strongest gusts hit.

Eventually, a smooth evacuation operation was conducted and, aside from the scare, no one was injured. The facility was temporarily closed due to the incident.

The change in weather also forced the closure of other cable lifts in the area.

During the Easter period in Italy, more than 7 million overnight stays have been booked, according to data from the Italian Centre for Tourism Studies.

A significant portion of these bookings was made by foreigners. In Rome alone, more than a million visitors are expected.

Easter also sees foreigners flocking to the Amalfi Coast and Bologna. In Bologna, 80 percent of hotel spaces have been booked, reports the local press. A similar situation is seen in Turin, where almost full capacity is reported.